FIS President Gian Franco Kasper expects the governing body to face challenges in the next two years ©Getty Images

International Ski Federation (FIS) President Gian Franco Kasper believes the governing body will face challenges in the next two years but is looking forward to having World Championships in “flagship locations”.

The 74-year-old, who is set to replace fellow Swiss René Fasel as the winter sporting representative on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board in August, made the claims ahead of the FIS Congress in Cancun.

At the 50th edition of the Congress in the Mexican resort, the FIS Council will elect hosts for its 2020 and 2021 World Championships on June 9.

To date, Zhangjiakou in China - a major hub for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing - is the only known bidder for the 2021 FIS Freestyle Ski and Snowboard World Championships.

The Chinese Olympic Committee is involved with the Zhangjiakou application alongside the Beijing 2022 Organising Committee and Hebei Province.

Cortina d'Ampezzo in Italy is set to host the 2021 International Ski Federation (FIS) Alpine World Ski Championships after being confirmed as the only candidate last May.

The governing body had also stated last year that bids had been received for the 2021 Nordic World Ski Championships from Oberstdorf in Germany, Trondheim in Norway and Planica in Slovenia, which has also applied for the 2020 Ski Flying World Championships.

Zhangjiakou could be announced as hosts of the 2021 FIS Freestyle Ski and Snowboard World Championships at the Congress
Zhangjiakou could be announced as hosts of the 2021 FIS Freestyle Ski and Snowboard World Championships at the Congress ©Getty Images

“Looking to the future and the upcoming two-year period for FIS, we can anticipate FIS World Championships in flagship locations in 2017 and 2018 as well as innovative Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang for the first time in [South] Korea,” Kasper told the FIS website.

“But it will be two years during which FIS will face challenges, particularly with the finances as a result of the changes to the recent currency exchange rates that affect the FIS budget, the continued turbulence in the world economy and building up the trust of the public again in sport in general and its organisation.”

Kasper stated that a key issue at the Congress is likely to be the distribution of funds to National Ski Associations, with a new system set to be presented to find a fairer way of allocating the money.

The President of the Association of Olympic Winter Sport Federations (AIOWF) also expressed a desire to secure major sponsors for all of the FIS’ World Cup events and disciplines, with Alpine and Nordic skiing currently benefiting from long-term backing.

Improving athlete safety and discussing ways of attracting wider audiences through broadcast media and digital technology, such as social media, are also expecting to be items discussed at the Congress.